Saturday, 31 January 2015

I have been a terrible blogger and reader this week. I have done absolutely no blogging and absolutely no reading. I've written zero blog posts, replied to zero comments and visited zero other blogggers. I've not got through one book, not even a quarter of a book. Nothing!

As I explained in a post last week, I've been very distracted. I found out that I had gotten an interview for a job at a college as a library supervisor. I absolutely love my job at the public library, but budget cuts mean that most of us will lose or jobs or be left working in a horrible place. So I knew I needed to leave, and this job was perfect. It was full time, decent hours and decent money and I'd also be in a managerial role. So instead of reading and blogging, I spent my week prepping for the interview and feeling sick to my stomach with nerves.

I went to the interview and was so nervous that I felt sure I'd done terribly. I phoned my mum and boyfriend straight after and said I didn't think I did very well and couldn't tell if they liked me. I got a phone call three hours later from the college, saying they were offering me the job. I was so happy that I was jumping up and down, screaming down the phone to my mum "I got the job! I got the job! I GOT THE JOB!". It felt fantastic. I'm excited, nervous and scared about changing jobs but I hope it all works out for me in the end.

I got to have a bit of a break from it all when I went to the Scholastic Blogger Brunch last Saturday. It was so much fun to meet the Scholastic team, meet two awesome debut authors and a ton of wonderful bloggers. I got some great books, had some lovely food and had a brilliant day. I'll be doing a post about it very soon.

The body of a young girl is found mangled and murdered in the woods of Hemlock Grove, Pennsylvania, in the shadow of the abandoned Godfrey Steel mill. A manhunt ensues—though the authorities aren’t sure if it’s a man they should be looking for.Some suspect an escapee from the White Tower, a foreboding biotech facility owned by the Godfrey family—their personal fortune and the local economy having moved on from Pittsburgh steel—where, if rumors are true, biological experiments of the most unethical kind take place. Others turn to Peter Rumancek, a Gypsy trailer-trash kid who has told impressionable high school classmates that he’s a werewolf. Or perhaps it’s Roman, the son of the late JR Godfrey, who rules the adolescent social scene with the casual arrogance of a cold-blooded aristocrat, his superior status unquestioned despite his decidedly freakish sister, Shelley, whose monstrous medical conditions belie a sweet intelligence, and his otherworldly control freak of a mother, Olivia.At once a riveting mystery and a fascinating revelation of the grotesque and the darkness in us all, Hemlock Grove has the architecture and energy to become a classic in its own right—and Brian McGreevy the talent and ambition to enthrall us for years to come.

I have watched the Netflix TV show and I absolutely loved it, so when I saw the book for £1 I had to pick it up. I really hope I end up loving it!

The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them....

I saw the hardback for this for £0.59 at The Works and had to grab it. Who can say no to a bargain that good?

When a plane crashes in the woods near Jess’s home, the boy of her dreams falls out of the sky—literally.

But David’s not here to find a girlfriend. He’s from another planet, and if Jess can’t help him get back to his ship, he’ll be stuck on Earth with nothing to look forward to but the pointy end of a dissection scalpel. But her father runs their house like an army barracks. and with an alien on the loose, Major Dad isn’t too keen on the idea of Jess going anywhere.

Ever.

So how the heck is she supposed to help the sweetest, strangest, and cutest guy she’s ever met? Hiding him in her room probably isn’t the best idea. Especially since her Dad is in charge of the squadron searching for David.

That doesn’t mean she won’t do it.

It just means she can't get caught. Helping David get home while protecting her heart—that’s gonna be the hard part.

After all, she can't really fall for a guy whose not exactly from here. As they race through the woods with Major Dad and most of the U.S. military one breath behind them, Jess and David grow closer than either of them anticipated. But all is not what it seems. David has a genocide-sized secret, and one betrayal later, they are both in handcuffs as alien warships are positioning themselves around the globe. Time is ticking down to Armageddon, and Jess must think fast if she's to save the boy she cares about without sacrificing Earth—and everyone on it.

I've been seeing this book on Instragram so much and wanted to give it a chance. It took forever for Book Depository to get any in stock, but when they did I bought one straight away.

Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she’s engaged to the prince, Twylla isn’t exactly a member of the court.

She’s the executioner.

As the Goddess embodied, Twylla instantly kills anyone she touches. Each month she’s taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love a girl with murder in her veins. Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to Twylla’s fatal touch, avoids her company.

But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose easy smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he’s able to look past Twylla’s executioner robes and see the girl, not the Goddess. Yet Twylla’s been promised to the prince, and knows what happens to people who cross the queen.

However, a treasonous secret is the least of Twylla’s problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies, a plan that requires a stomach-churning, unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?

I've already got a review copy of this one so I'll probably do a giveaway for the spare. If I'd been smart I would have gotten the spare signed by Melinda when I met her at the blogger brunch.

This bold, compelling and topical story about bullying is told from the perspective of the bully and the bullied. You won't be able put it down until you've reached the conclusion. Jess's life is difficult enough without Kez picking on her – it’s turning school from a safe place into a nightmare. Kez has plenty of problems too but she finds comfort in knowing she is better off than Jess - or so she thinks. A hard-hitting and even-handed look at bullying and the issues facing teenagers today.

From one of the brightest talents in children's fiction and the winner of the Waterstones Children's Book prize comes a new novel about family and friendship. Siblings Jonathan, Holly and Davy have been struggling to survive since the death of their mother, and are determined to avoid being taken into care. When the family's wealthy but eccentric Great-Aunt Irene has a stroke, they go to visit her. Unable to speak or write, she gives Holly some photographs that might lead them to an inheritance that could solve all their problems. But they're not the only ones after the treasure...

Back in the 1990s, Billy Graves was one of the Wild Geese: a tight-knit crew of young mavericks, fresh to police work and hungry for justice, looking out for each other and their ‘family’ of neighbourhood locals. But then Billy made some bad headlines by accidentally shooting a ten-year-old boy while bringing down an angel-dusted berserker in the street. Branded a loose cannon, he spent years in one dead-end posting after another. Now he has settled into his role as sergeant in the Night Watch, content simply to do his job and go home to his family. But when he is called to the 4 a.m. stabbing of a man in Penn Station, Billy discovers the victim is the ‘White’ of one of his his oldest friends, a former member of the Wild Geese, who is now retired. As the past comes crashing into the present, the Wild Geese seemingly rise from the dead, and the bad old run-and-gun days of the 90s are back with a vengeance.

Apparently I won this in a Goodreads giveaway, one that I have no recollection of entering.

Unleashed, the romantic, high-stakes sequel to New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's Uninvited, is perfect for fans of James Patterson's Confessions of a Murder Suspect.Davy has spent the last few months trying to come to terms with the fact that she tested positive for the kill gene HTS (also known as Homicidal Tendency Syndrome). She swore she would not let it change her, and that her DNA did not define her . . . but then she killed a man.Now on the run, Davy must decide whether she'll be ruled by the kill gene or if she'll follow her heart and fight for her right to live free. But with her own potential for violence lying right beneath the surface, Davy doesn't even know if she can trust herself.

I absolutely loved Uninvited, so I was so happy when Harper accepted my review request and sent me this.

Before Matt, Ella had a plan. Get over a no-good ex-boyfriend. Graduate from high school without any more distractions. Move away from Orlando, Florida, where she’s lived her entire life.

But Matt—the cute, shy, bespectacled bass player who just moved to town—was never part of that plan.

And neither was attending a party that was crashed by the cops just minutes after they arrived. Or spending an entire night saying “yes” to every crazy, fun thing they could think of.

Then Matt abruptly left town, and he broke not only Ella’s heart but those of their best friends, too. So when he shows up a year later with a plan of his own—to relive the night that brought them together—Ella isn’t sure whether Matt’s worth a second chance. Or if re-creating the past can help them create a different future.

In alternating then and now chapters, debut author Lauren Gibaldi crafts a charming, romantic story of first loves, lifelong friendships, uncovered secrets, and, ultimately, finding out how to be brave.

I thought I had zero chance of getting a physical copy of this one, considering the UK don't have rights yet. But HarperTeen were lovely enough to send me a copy all the way from New York. I can't wait to read this one.

Now I am going to try my hardest to get back on top of blogging before I start my new, full time job. If don't do it before I start the new job then I know it will never happen.

Sunday, 25 January 2015

In four hours, Shelby Jane Cooper will be struck by a car.Shortly after, she and her mother will leave the hospital and set out on a winding journey toward the Grand Canyon. All Shelby knows is that they’re running from dangers only her mother understands. And the further they travel, the more Shelby questions everything about her past—and her current reality. Forced to take advantage of the kindness of unsuspecting travelers, Shelby grapples with what’s real, what isn’t, and who she can trust . . . if anybody.

I feel it's my duty to warn you all that this book contains lies.

I know, really shocking for a book called There Will Be Lies. But, come on, I can't be the only person who hoped that this book would contain no lies, and that the title itself was the real lie. Yes... that was a thing that needed to happen and it didn't and now I'm sad because that's the kind of crazy person that I am.

I've been struggling for quite some time with what I wanted to say in this review and now I am still struggling with it. I still don't really know how I feel about this book, whether I really enjoyed it or if it was just too strange for me. This wasn't a book that I hated, but then I didn't love it either. It was one of those middle ground books and they cause me so much issues when it comes to reviewing. I need a read that enters the I-love-it!!! status or the I-loathe-it!!! status, anything else and it just gives me a headache trying to figure out how to sum up my feelings.

There Will Be Lies has to be one of the strangest books that I have read in a long time. Shelby has led a very sheltered life, her mother takes being a protective parent to an extreme. It's rather obvious from the very beginning that there is more to Shelby's life and the way they live, more that her mother has obviously not told Shelby. This book leads to more questions even as lies are uncovered, it was that aspect of it that kept me reading. There were other aspects that had me getting rather frustrated. The writing style took a bit of getting used to, especially the fact that there were no quotation marks for dialogue. That is explained later in the book and once it was it completely made sense and I understood why it was like that, but it was still hard to get used to.

I'd already been warned that this book would see Shelby enter the Dreaming, a dream world, for some of the book. That side to the story has a very fairytale like quality to it, but one of those dark fairytales and not one that's been Disneyfied. I have to admit that I am pleased I knew about that before starting the story, otherwise I'm sure it would have thrown me off so much that I probably would have put this book down. I have spoke before about how I struggle with weird in books, not that I can really explain what I mean by that. For someone who doesn't do well with weird, I think I did quite well handling the Dreaming aspect of this book because it bypassed weird and went to crazy town. I could have done without that part and I'm sure I wasn't the only one. It's what makes the story so unique, but I just didn't enjoy that part of the story and found myself wanted to skip those sections.

This book was one roller coaster ride of a read, filled with a lot of twists and turns and unreliable characters. There's revelation after revelation, yet you never know whether any of what's being revealed is actually true. I admit that I guessed almost from page one why Shelby's mother was so crazy and wouldn't let her talk to anyone, go anywhere or really do anything. It didn't bother me while I was reading, I was just so intrigued by the whole thing and couldn't wait to see how it would all end.

3/5 Butterflies

I'd originally had this as a 4/5 on Goodreads, but I quickly realised this was a middle road read for me. I don't have much to say about the book, which is usually a sign that I just felt it was okay. If I disliked it then I usually have a lot to comment on and if I really enjoyed it then there'd be flailing and tons of exclamation marks. This is a read I'd recommend to someone who is looking for a book that's going to keep them guessing, that will keep them turning the pages because they need to find out what happens next.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Saturday, 24 January 2015

This is definitely not going to be a discussion post at all, but I needed a pretty header to go at the top of this post and there was no way I was going to make one at midnight. I have to be up early tomorrow so my level of care right now is very small. I just wanted to do a very quick catch up post to discuss my week and everything. I've been rather absent blog wise, but that's because life has been doing it's usual thing and getting in the way. I've also not been able to find much time to read, which has really sucked this week , especially since I have so many awesome books I want to read right now.

I've barely had any time for the blog or reading in the last week or so, which is why I've not really posted anything. I found out earlier in the week that I have an interview next Thursday for a Library supervisor post. I am super nervous, especially since I wasn't really expecting to get an interview. I really want the job, but am not really sure I have a good chance of getting it, it's a much higher position than the one I'm in now. Interviews are also scary things and just thinking about it makes me feel sick. I've honestly not been able to think about anything else since I found out. So I'll probably be posting very little from now until then. In that time I'll be prepping for the interview and hoping I don't make a total tit out of myself on the day. Wish me luck and keep your fingers and toes crossed.

I also wanted to share how excited I am for the blogger brunch that I'm going to today. I was invited by Scholastic to attend the brunch that they are hosting. It's going to be a lot of fun, I get to meet other bloggers, two authors (whose debuts I can't wait for!), and also get to find out all about the books that Scholastic have coming out. It's going to be awesome and I can't wait to go and discuss all things bookish. I'll definitely be doing a post about that very soon to let you all know how it went.

I thought I'd also let you all know that I am hosting a giveaway over on Instagram, for any of you wonderful people who are on there. You can find it here. It's also a brilliant time for me to talk about how obsessed I have become with Instagram. It is bad for me. I really should be banned from it. I can't stop taking photos of books, even when James gives me strange looks for it. It's also got me buying new books I don't need just because they look so pretty on Instagram. Yes, I have a problem.

Tuesday, 20 January 2015

This week was freebie week, meaning I could pick my own topic. I wanted to talk about the books I want to see made into films already. Even though they would then probably change far too much, poorly cast some characters and make me regret ever saying I wanted them to make the film in the first place. But that's the joy of book to movie adaptations.

I want the movie. I need the movie. Hurry up and just be a movie already. Wait.... don't be a movie. What if they ruin it? What if I hate the casting for Celaena and Chaol? Ahhhhh... adaptation panic. But seriously, this book contains all kinds of awesome and would make an incredible movie series. I'm imagining some amazingly awesome Lord of the Rings style adaptation, with beyond incredible special effects that bring the fantasy world to life. It'll have action, romance and wyverns.

There can be only one word to describe a Throne of Glass movie...

Casting

I don't really know who I would cast, but I could definitely imagine these two. It would be a question of whether they have the acting skills to pull the roles off, which I am doubting. The Max Irons casting might just be based on the fact I could stare at him for hours, he's so pretty. I wanted to cast Dorian but he's like a blob to me, just a blurry, thanks-for-getting-out-of-the-way-of-my-ship blob.

I don't even know how they would begin to turn this mind fuck of a read into a movie, but they really should work on that. I am just imagining how much this would be able to mess with your head as a film. I'm imaging a Gone Girl style movie here, especially if they could do that good a job adapting it and get an amazing cast in. Plus a movie adaptation might bring more attention to this completely underrated book that deserves a lot more love.

I'll admit that I mostly want this to be a movie so I can see people reacting in the cinema. I just want to watch people get all the way through the movie, get to that ending and flip out.

It's probably pretty obvious why this book hasn't been turned into a movie. For anyone who doesn't know, it contains a love story that sees a brother and sister fall in love. Now that could make for some uncomfortable viewing. I don't care, I want and need this to be a movie. The book was amazing and left me a sobbing wreck. I want a movie that's going to be just as powerful, will punch me in the fulls and have me sobbing uncontrollably. Someone, anyone, make this movie for me.

Yes, I'm rooting for an incestuous love story movie to be made, and what?

I'm going to pick these two because I like them and think they are quite talented. But I also know that Lily Collins could pull off being British and Logan Lerman can play the quiet, shy type... Perks proved that. Yes, I approve. Now make it happen.

I'm sitting here and can't think of a single reason why this shouldn't already be a movie. Or at least a short TV drama. I need this to be adapted into something, so that I can go see it, get all the feels and sob so much it hurts. I don't know why I am hoping for all these movie to release that will hurt me so much to watch, but I do.

I actually think this would be a series that would work better as a TV show. It would be hard to pull off as a film series because they switch to completely new characters in the second installment, with the original main characters having a small part. I think that would be something you could get away with more in a TV show. Whether TV show or movie, I just want to see this awesomeness brought to life.

Can we all just take a moment to imagine how cool a Starbound TV series would be.

This would be very challenging to turn into a movie but it needs to happen. I'm pretty sure it's something that is in the works, but very early stages. It is one epic book and I can't begin to imagine how amazing the battles would look on the big screen. I also need to see Sevro come alive on the big screen. They need to cast that perfectly or I will have to cry into my copy of Red Rising.

Any or all of these will do. I don't just want epic fantasy or soul crushingly, heartbreakingly sad films. It would be good to have some cute, fluffy, adorable romances thrown in. They'd have hilarious characters and shippable romance. If I could only have one then I'd go for My Life Next Door. Just please provide me with some much needed relief from all the tears.

I need a movie that has a cuteness level equivalent to this cute puppy gif:

Yes, I know it's being made into a film. But not quickly enough. The book was heartbreakingly beautiful, amazing and epic in so many ways. It's going to be a movie that breaks me but makes me so happy. At least I imagine it will. If they messed up the adaptation to this book then I would never get over it. They better do a good job! When this comes out I will be going to see it, with like twelve boxes of tissues.

Hurry up already!

I would do more but I am trying to finish this while on a lunch break and I am running out of time. The list of books I want to see made into movies is absolutely endless, but these are the ones that I would most urgently want made.

So, to all the people brave enough to try and adapt these into films, I have only one thing to say.